While many cruise regulars find art auctions entertaining, some are intimidated — fearful that they can’t afford the art or of overspending in the thrill of bidding.
Those fears are largely unfounded, according to Joan Blackman, one of the principals of ICArt and co-owner of Art Actually, the onboard entity that coordinates the art auctions on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.
Her advice for art auction novices? “First: Buy art that you love, art that brings joy to your heart,” she says. “Secondly: Never spend more than you feel comfortable spending.”
Many of the same Royal Caribbean artists whose art is displayed around the Oasis have pieces available for purchase by guests at auction or in the onboard art gallery, often at affordable prices.
“Beautiful pieces from $100 to $100,000 can be purchased on Oasis,” Blackman says. “What makes our overall art experience unique is we give tours to familiarize guests with the onboard artists and the back story behind specific art installations.”
The art auction format on Oasis is twofold. In addition to works from Royal artists (those featured on Oasis and other Royal Caribbean ships) at auction or for sale in the Art Actually gallery, there’s also a large selection of “People’s Choice” artists’ works for sale. These established artists are favorites of guests who have traveled on other cruise lines.
Oasis guests have an opportunity to participate in multiple auctions during a weeklong cruise. Auctions are held each “at sea” day for a total of three times on a week-long cruise.
“Our most important goal is to make people feel comfortable from the beginning of each auction,” says Anthea Turner, Art Actually marketing director. “While 50 to 60 percent of participants are repeat passengers and familiar with the process, we still begin each auction with a recap of how the process works.”
An hour before the auction begins, guests arrive, sign in and are handed complimentary champagne and “request” cards, which allows them to pre-shop for pieces. Bidders put the request cards next to art that interests them, and when the auction begins, pieces with multiple request cards are often offered first.
“We prefer to hold request- based auctions because we then know these are pieces the guests want and are likely to purchase,” Turner says. “When the auctioneer sees the style of art people are interested in, he will also choose other pieces of a similar style to offer bidders.”
As guests pre-shop, they have an opportunity for some one-on-one time with the art director or professional staff members from Art Actually to gather information about artists of interest. At their chairs, they find biographical or other background information about the artists or the art. Prior to the opening bang of the gavel, a short discussion is held on shipping options, taxes, guarantees, refunds and artist statements of authenticity.
A mix of price ranges
When the auction starts, participants can raise their hand to bid or they may have been issued a number to hold up, depending on how that particular auction is designed. The auctioneer usually starts with some of the lower-priced requested items to build enthusiasm and establish a comfort level for bidders. The selections then begin to alternate between higher- and lower- priced pieces.
The rapid-fire lingo associated with auctioneers may be used, but more for its entertainment value. If the auctioneer feels the majority of the audience consists of novice bidders, he or she will usually slow the pace. A brief history of the artist or other background information is often shared as each new piece comes up for sale.
Once the final gavel falls with the familiar call of “Sold!” the winning bidder is handed a form to fill out with basic information (name, home address, etc.) and cruise folio number.
(Note: On a typical cruise, cash usually is used only in the casino. All other charges and purchases are put onto the passenger’s “folio” account, and the total is charged to credit cards or paid in cash at the end of the cruise.)
Don’t go to an art auction expecting bargain-basement prices, however. According to Turner, each piece offered at auction has a “reserve” price that must be met, which is used as the starting point for bidding. That price is not officially shared ahead, but if a guest asks, a staff member will reveal the starting bid. Turner also says that onboard prices of some artists’ work may be significantly less than what one would pay in a land-based retail art gallery.
“It’s not unusual to have a piece that sells on land for $5,000 to be available for purchase for a substantially lower price, $2,900 for example, at an onboard auction. You can capture the savings in that regard,” Turner says.
“A favorite, affordable form of art that many guests prefer to buy is limited, numbered editions of a piece,” Blackman adds. “Multiples and editions are the hottest forms of art right now. A print, for example, has still been touched by the artist who has approved its production in multiple forms and signed it, as well.”
Arrangements can be made to have the purchased art shipped home to avoid the hassle of dragging it through airports.
What if a bidder gets a little carried away in the excitement of the moment? “Not to worry,” Turner says. “We allow them to change their mind all the way to the end of the cruise. If at that point they still feel they’ve overdone it, we release them from their obligation.”
Turner adds that should a bidder inadvertently bid by mistake during the actual auction, the auctioneer often tries to downplay the embarrassing moment by making a joke, such as, “If you want to bid, raise your left hand; if you want a drink, raise your right hand!”
